Innovating
«Change», «curiosity», and «educational training» are all terms that may come to mind when you, as a Y+S leader, hear the term «innovating». This action domain is all about you. Why are you dedicated to Y+S? What are your goals for your work within Y+S? Do you know what’s currently going on in your discipline? You’re about to find out that all of this has a lot to do with self-reflection.
The «Innovating» action domain is part of the Y+S training approach (in German) and is divided into two action areas, each including two or three concrete recommendations for action. Click on the different boxes to find out more about the respective topics.
In the following chapter, we will dive deeper into the «Continuous development» action area. You can find further information and inspiring questions about the second action area «Continually developing one’s own activities», in the set of cards which you will receive during the course.
In the «continuous development» action area, the focus is on you and your own self-reflection. Regularly reflect upon your attitude and behaviour. Think about what motivates you and ask yourself which of your activities are in alignment with whatever motivates you, as well as considering where there may be room for improvement. Click on the circles in the picture to find out more.
Self-reflection is also about reflecting upon your attitude towards certain topics. Your attitude is strongly influenced by your mindset, which is why we want to address this particular topic first.
Your mindset – your attitude or way of thinking – can determine, for instance, how you deal with problems. Do you generally avoid them, or do you love new challenges and strive to solve them in a dedicated manner? What do you think of the children and adolescents in your training group? Do they have the potential to become top athletes, top students, or have a successful career? We usually attribute success to a person’s individual talents. This way of thinking hinders our personal development and limits our potential. Your mindset plays a much bigger role in your development than your talent does. Your attitude influences your words, your actions, and your behaviour. So, what kind of mindset do you have?
Take the test linked here (in German) and memorise your score once you’re done.
What score did you get? In the following chart you can see whether your mindset is more rigid or more dynamic within a sport-related context. Underneath, you will see descriptions of the principal characteristics of both mindsets. For each picture you see presented below, briefly think about how someone with a rigid or dynamic mindset would deal with the situation shown. Once you’re done, click on the grey area and read the answer.
People with a rigid mindset see success as something that is static. As a result, they believe that much is already predetermined and not much can be influenced. This kind of mindset prevents them from living up to their full potential. People with a dynamic mindset see success as something that can be learnt. They make better use of their potential because they believe that they can have an influence on many aspects of their life. A dynamic mindset gets you further as it allows you to live up to your full potential. This also applies to the children and adolescents in your group.
So, try to reinforce the dynamic mindset both of yourself and of your protégés. Focus your attention on individual progress. Praise effort and behaviours instead of results. When something goes wrong, clarify what has caused it, whilst also acknowledging the effort that has been put in. Keep setting new tasks that are challenging, or almost overwhelming, because the most important thing is the effort that is being put in. Especially in the role of a leader, a lot depends on the way you communicate. Pay attention to how you formulate something. You can use this exercise sheet (in German) as an optional activity. Afterwards, you can compare your answers with the suggested solutions (in German).
In order to reflect upon yourself in a goal-oriented way, you need to be aware of your values and the motivators that drive you. Here you have 10 cards with possible motivators (in German). Think about each one of them and rank them according to how important they are to you. Please DO NOT click on «Done» at the end, otherwise your result will disappear.
How well do you think your work within Y+S aligns with your motivators? Reflect upon which motivators are most prominent in your Y+S work. If you are faced with a difficult decision, examine which of your motivators have a more positive effect on you, and which motivators may serve to inhibit you. This can help you with problem solving.
Have you ever wondered, after a Y+S activity, if you acted in the right way in a particular situation? Or maybe you’ve been asked if you would be interested in leading a different age group and found yourself contemplating whether you would like to or not? Having dived deeper into your mindset and your motivators, you will now be presented with a helpful method for undergoing self-reflection – that is, consciously reflecting upon your own actions. This includes implementing the following three steps for reflection:
Describing
Developing action conceptualisations
Creating a plan of action
Practical example
Practical example
Practical example
These three steps are based on the U-model. If you would like to, you can find further information here (in German).
In the following video, six Y+S leaders comment on various questions that every leader should ask themselves.
While working through this learning module, you will definitely have encountered some areas where there is still room for improvement. Take some time to explore Y+S’ wide offering of educational training courses (in German) and find one that is relevant for you. Write down the dates and discuss your registration with your Y+S coach.
Create an event in your calendar that you can use for taking some time out to reflect upon yourself and your work within Y+S. It is best to save this as a recurring event.